Hometown may hold folks with interesting stories

Little did I know that having new tires installed on our RV several years ago would have a profound effect on me. Here I was sitting in a dingy waiting area of a local garage, which held old kitchen chairs, outdated magazines and an old black and white TV with rabbit ears.

I was getting more bored each passing minute when a man walked in; he was wearing overalls, a plaid shirt and a straw hat.

He asked if the chair next to me was taken and I said no. He sat down and started chatting with me.

I was hesitant to talk to a stranger, but my attitude quickly changed when he started talking about his son.

“Guess where my son is right now?” he asked.

Of course, I didn’t have an answer, so he told me his son was a weekend house guest of the actor Brad Pitt. Well anybody who knows me, knows good and well that when it comes to celebrities, you’ve got my undivided attention.

He explained that his son was in discussions with Brad Pitt because the actor was planning to star in the movie based on his son’s book. The movie was “Fight Club” and the author of the book was Chuck Palahniuk.

The gentleman introduced himself as Fred Palahniuk and as it turned out my boring wait in the garage was an experience I shall forever remember. Palahniuk was a gentle and kind hearted man who held his son in the highest esteem.

I became engrossed listening to Palahniuk. Out of the blue, he said he had a relative who was an actor. I asked him who and his answer was another eye-opener. He said he was related to the character actor Jack Palance, who played Curly in “City Slickers” with Billy Crystal. He explained that Palance changed his last name from Palahniuk because of professional reasons.

Not too long after that extraordinary encounter with Palahniuk, I read that he and his girlfriend were murdered, and their bodies were discovered in a burned cabin in Idaho. They were both shot by the girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend, who was convicted of two counts of murder.

Life is like an obstacle course, if you will, with twists and turns and one never knows where the road will take you.

I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to meet Palahniuk. I must admit that I should be more open to the possibility that the person next to me could have some interesting stories to tell.

The point is that a person doesn’t have to travel farther then their own hometown to meet the most interesting people.

Just remember that maybe the person sitting beside you could have a yarn to spin. One never knows when and if a special person will come into your life and change your perspective.